Escape from the city: hiking near Pokhara
There's a lifetime worth of adjectives to describe Kathmandu (or KTM or the 'Du...). My choice of descriptive vocabulary is usually influenced by my mood and the type of day I've been having- and for the most part my days have been pretty good! Especially the days when the sun is shining, the Himalayan Peaks are visible and the traffic jams are somewhat manageable. Bjoern has dubbed KTM 'charmingly chaotic' which is a good description I think. Some days it feels more charming and others more chaotic but usually it's an interesting mix of both.
So we are starting to find our place here amid the chaos... and the charm. Kioni is at the French International School and Kaja is at the British School. They each seem happy, are adapting well and making new friends. Let's face it- it isn't easy having such 'transient' parents! Kioni tell us that she isn't learning any French but luckily her teacher tells us otherwise. Since the French School here only goes up to grade 5 Kaja has had to join the British system where she's in the first year of secondary school (ie. lockers, rotary classes and looming teenagerhood...).
Although we really are enjoying the cafes, food, architecture, markets, new friends, culture, street life and of course charm of KTM, one of the highlights of living here is definitely 'getting out of the city' and taking a break from the garbage, pollution and traffic and breathing some badly needed fresh air. Luckily this is pretty easy to do- a quick taxi, bus or bike ride beyond the Ring Road takes you to another side of Nepal...
KTM is in the beautiful Kathmandu Valley which offers tons of trekking, biking and walking opportunities. So far our family travels haven't taken us too far afield- just some one or two day treks around the valley to Shivapuri, Chisopani, Nagarkot and a few days in Pokhara (gateway to Annapurna). The scenery is breathtaking- deep valleys, terraced hillsides and friendly villages topped off with the Himalayan peaks. Kaja and I have acquired mountain bikes- another good way to explore the valley once we make our way out of KTM's traffic and smog. We're starting to discover some good routes and backroads but also find the bikes handy for absorbing the many potholes, bumps and pavement challenged sections this city has to offer!
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